Glazing unit with a housing

ABSTRACT

An improved glazing unit extending along a plane, P, defined by a longitudinal axis, X, and a vertical axis, Z; having a width, DW, measured along the longitudinal axis, X, and a length, DL, measured along the vertical axis, Z, including a glass panel, a housing able to accommodate a communication device and an opening arranged on the glass panel. The present invention also discloses a communication system including a glazing unit, at least a 4G and/or 5G signal communication unit and a provider fixed station or active or passive repeater, which is placed at least at 1 m outside from the glazing unit, wherein the 4G and/or 5G signal communication unit is fixed to the glazing unit at the opposite side from the provider fixed station or active or passive repeater.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a glazing unit with a housing able toaccommodate a communication device.

BACKGROUND ART

The demand of data traffic increases especially inside and outsidebuildings and vehicles, such as train, car, . . . In modern buildings,such as in modern vehicles, more and more glass is used and as thermalcomfort is required, multiple glazing is commonly used.

Multiple glazing means a glazing unit with at least two glass panelscombined together by a means of maintaining the two glass panels at acertain distance between the two glass panels. The glass panel placedoutside of the building is called the outer glass panel where the otherone is called the inner glass panel. To maintain the two glass panels ata certain distance one from the other, a spacer can be used in theperiphery of the glazing unit with gas in the volume created betweenthese two glass panels, pillars can be used between the two glass panelsand a vacuum is created between these two glass panels, called vacuuminsulated glazing (VIG). Usually, surfaces of glass panels have two mainsurfaces, one is oriented towards the outside of the building, vehicle,. . . while the other surface is oriented towards the inside of thebuilding, vehicle, . . . These surfaces are named Sij where i and j arepositive integers where i represents a reference to the glass panelitself and j represents the surface of this glass panel. The surface Sijwith j number equals to one (S11, S21, . . . ) corresponds to thesurface facing the outside of the building, vehicle, . . . The surfaceSij with j number equals to two (S12, S22, . . . ) corresponds to thesurface facing the inside of the building, vehicle, . . . In a multipleglazing comprising a first glass panel with S11 and S12 surfaces and asecond glazing panel with surfaces S21 and S22, S12 and S21 are facingto each other to create a volume between these two glass panels.

In other words, surfaces of a glazing unit can be summarized as fromoutside of the building: S11/S12/volume/S21/S22 then the inside of thebuilding.

In order to reduce the accumulation of heat in the interior of abuilding or vehicle, a glazing unit may be coated with a coating system,for example a solar control coating system, which absorbs or reflectssolar energy. Inclusion of solar control films, particularly on glazingfor use in warm, sunny climates, is desirable because they reduce theneed for air conditioning or other temperature regulation methods. Thisaffords savings in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact.

Such coating systems, however, are typically electrically conductive andare highly reflective for Radio Frequency (RF) waves and low intransmittance for RF waves. This effect impedes reception ortransmission by antennas (or wireless devices).

To ensure the thermal comfort inside the building, a coating system suchas a solar control coating can be provided on at least one of the innersurfaces of the glazing panel

This makes the coating systems efficient and broadband reflectors ofradio frequency signals. Furthermore, commercial construction,automotive, train, . . . tend to use other materials that further blockRF signals. Materials such as concrete, brick, mortar, steel, aluminum,roofing tar, gypsum wall board, and some types of wood all offer varyingdegrees of RF attenuation. The result is that many newer constructionsseverely impede RF signals from getting into or out of the buildings.

In some embodiments, where a glazing unit according to the invention hasseveral coating systems between the housing and the outside of thebuilding, vehicle, . . . , every coating system has to have a decoatedzone at least in front of the housing.

Nonetheless, RF devices have become an important part of modern life,especially with the huge penetration of cellular smartphones, tablets,IoT (Internet of Things) devices, that are requiring a deep penetrationin buildings or automotive of electromagnetic field for indoor coverage,even at high spectrum frequency up to 70 GHz. Such devices may includecellular transceivers, wireless local area network (“Wi-Fi”)transceivers, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, Bluetoothtransceivers and, in some cases, other RF receivers (e.g., FM/AM radio,UHF, etc.). As the popularity of such devices has grown, the importanceof being able to use RF-based features within the confines of moderncommercial buildings has grown.

In addition, in order to increase the speed and capacity of wirelesscommunication, frequency bands to be used are becoming higher, like thefrequency bands for the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G).Therefore, even if a high-frequency electromagnetic wave having abroadband frequency band is used for a mobile communication, etc., it isnecessary to have a wide band frequency selective surface in order toensure the transmission of waves with different frequencies through theglazing unit.

The ITU IMT-2020 specification demands speeds up to 20 Gbps, achievablewith wide channel bandwidths and massive MIMO 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP) is going to submit 5G NR (New Radio) as its 5Gcommunication standard proposal. 5G NR can include lower frequencies,below 6 GHz, and mm-Wave, above 15 GHz. On top of that, IoT willrequires indoor coverage as good as possible not for massive MTC(Machine Type Communication) but for critical MTC where robots orindustrial devices are 5G wireless remotely controlled.

Coating systems strongly attenuates EM signals when passing throughglazing panels. And especially at mm-Wave, the signal level rapidlydecreases due to high path loss. Many residential/commercial buildingstherefore need outdoor, or outdoor-indoor repeaters and indoor CPEs. Ontop of that, an outdoor unit is typically undesirable for securityreasons but also to provide easily power or to avoid environmentalconditions that can damage the outdoor unit.

In case of the CPE and/or the repeater is placed inside the building,the signal is attenuated by at least 30 dB through glazing unit with acoated glass panel.

Some solutions provide a decoated portion on the coated glass panel.This decoated portion improves the signal inside the building butcreates a narrow field of view. Especially at mm-Wave frequencies,beamforming is important to improve the signal to interference ratio(SIR) also because obstacles cause greater diffusion of the signal andless specular reflection meaning that there is higher propagation lossesin NLOS. These solutions, to provide a greater field of view, need agreater decoated portion meaning loosing thermal performances of theglazing unit.

An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide aglazing unit capable of increasing the field of view from the indoorunit, capable to have a wide field of view and keeping higher chance toprovide LOS link compared to existing solutions when beamforming for thetransmission of waves with lower frequencies, below 6 GHz, and mm-Wave,above 15 GHz through a glazing unit.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate these problems andespecially the outdoor to indoor and/or the indoor to outdoorpenetration, and to provide a glazing unit capable of increasing thefield of view from the indoor unit, capable to have a wide field of viewand keeping higher chance to provide LOS link compared to existingsolutions for the transmission of waves with lower frequencies, below 6GHz, and mm-Wave frequency, above 15 GHz through the glazing unit andshall be intended as an improvement. The present invention also providesa solution to improve the scanning range of beamforming, meaning a widerfield of view, and a longer range of use.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention relates toan improved glazing unit extending along a plane, P, defined by alongitudinal axis, X, and a vertical axis, Z; having a width, DW,measured along the longitudinal axis, X, and a length, DL, measuredalong the vertical axis, Z, comprising a glass panel, a housing able toaccommodate a communication device and an opening arranged on the saidglass panel.

The solution as defined in the first aspect of the present invention isbased on the opening has substantially same dimensions in plane P as thesaid housing and in that the housing is placed in the said opening.

According to the invention, the glazing unit may comprise a 4G and/or 5Gsignal communication device having at least one antenna. In someembodiments according to the invention, the communication device is amm-Wave signal communication device.

According to the invention, the housing comprises side parts and a coverand in some embodiments, the housing can comprise a bottom surrounded byside parts. The bottom can be a plain or with at least one hole in orderto optimize the communication. This bottom can have a flat or freecenter part to avoid signal issues. Borders of the bottom can be curvedto fulfill with other parts of the housing. The cover and/or sides ofthe housing can have parts interacting with respectively sides or thecover.

According to the invention, the housing can have at least one attachingmeans for attaching the cover to the side parts the matching element isfixed to the housing by at least one adaptable means able to adapt thedistance, between 0.5 mm and 30 mm, between the matching element and theantenna.

The communication device can be fixed by any means able to fix thiscommunication device such as clips, screws, . . . Alternatively, atleast one adaptive fixing means can be used to fix the communicationdevice to the housing to adapt the distance between the antenna and thehousing to minimize the detuning of the antenna.

According to the invention, the housing can be made in a single piecemeaning that sides, cover and the bottom if exists are a single piece.In some others embodiments, the housing can be made in separate pieces,all pieces can be assembled together by fixed or detachable means, suchas glue, encapsulation, soldering, welding, screw, hooks, . . .

According to the invention, the housing can have at least one attachingmeans for attaching the cover to the side parts, preferably detachableattaching means to open the housing for maintenance.

According to the invention, a coating system which is low intransmittance for RF signal can be disposed on at least one majorsurface of the glazing panel.

According to the invention, the opening can be arranged in the area of acorner of the said glass panel and preferably in the lower part of thesaid glass panel. In some embodiments, the opening can be a cut-out andthe shape of the cut-out is triangular or an arc or a polygon.

According to the invention, the opening is arranged in a side of thesaid glass panel and preferably in the lower part of the said glasspanel. In some embodiments, the opening is a cut-out and the shape ofthe cut-out is a rectangular or an arc or a polygon and preferably oneside of the side rectangular has substantially the same size as the sideof the said glass panel.

According to the invention, the opening is surrounded by the said glasspanel.

The matching element can also be embedded in the housing.

According to the invention, the housing can comprise a heatsink, and insome embodiments, the said heatsink is placed on the cover facing theoutside of the said housing.

According to the invention, the communication device may comprise atleast one RF module and the said heatsink is thermally connected to atleast the said at least one RF module. Thermally means that the heatgenerated by at least the RF module can flow to the heatsink to bedissipated.

The present invention relates also to a communication system comprisingat least a glazing unit as described and a provider fixed station oractive or passive repeater, which is placed at least at 1 m outside fromthe glazing unit.

The present invention relates also to a communication system comprisingat least a glazing unit as described to provide indoor and/or outdoorcoverage as a fixed access point.

According to the invention, the glazing unit may comprises at least oneglass panel, a first glass panel having two majors surfaces S11, S12,and in some preferred embodiments, the glazing unit can comprises morethan a first glass panel and comprises a second glass panel having twomajors surfaces S21, S22. The said second glass panel combined to thefirst glass panel by at least a means of maintaining the two glasspanels at a certain distance between the surface S12 of the first glasspanel and the surface S21 of the second glass panel. The said secondglass panel can also be laminated with the first glass panel.

At higher frequencies the two glass panels can be low or high intransmittance for RF waves depending on the polarization of the signal,the angle of incidence and the frequency. High in transmittance for RFradiation means that RF radiation are mostly transmitted through thematerial where low in transmittance for RF radiation means that RFradiation are mostly reflected on the surface of the material and/orabsorbed by the material and the attenuation is at level of 20 decibels(dB) or more. High in transmittance means an attenuation at level of 10decibels (dB) or less. The coating system which is low in transmittancefor RF radiation means that the coating system is blocking RF radiationto pass through the glazing.

In some embodiments according to the invention, a coating system whichis low in transmittance for RF radiation can be disposed on one surfaceof the glazing unit. The said at least one coating system can have atleast one decoated zone. In case of at least one glass panel has morethan one glass sheet, several coating systems can be disposed ondifferent surfaces of the glazing unit.

The decoated zone means a zone of the coating system where the coatingsystem is removed or has been masked during his application. In thedecoated zone, the coating system is totally or partially absent or aplurality of small slits or any shape in the coating system to become afrequency selective surface in order to let waves pass from one side tothe other side of the glass panel to further suppress deterioration ofradio wave transmission performances. The decoated zone can be limitedto a zone in front of the said housing meaning that the decoated zone isplaced vis-à-vis of the zone where the housing is fixed on.

As the glazing unit is placed in a building or in a vehicle, the glazingunit is placed vertically or with an angle from the vertical axis(Z-axis) in a way that the glazing unit has an upper part and a lowerpart. The upper part is the part with higher z-values and the lower partis the part of the glazing unit with lower z-values.

It is noted that the invention relates to all possible combinations offeatures recited in the claims or in the described embodiments.

The following description relates to a building window unit but it'sunderstood that the invention may be applicable to others fields likeautomotive or transportation windows which have to be attached such astrain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

This and other aspects of the present invention will now be described inmore detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing variousexemplifying embodiments of the invention which are provided by way ofillustration and not of limitation. The drawings are a schematicrepresentation and not true to scale. The drawings do not restrict theinvention in any way. More advantages will be explained with examples.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views of a first embodiment of glazing unitaccording to the invention.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are schematic sectional views of a first embodiment ofglazing unit according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is schematic views of a second embodiment of glazing unitaccording to the invention.

FIG. 7 is schematic views of embodiments of glazing unit according tothe invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

For a better understanding, the scale of each member in the drawing maybe different from the actual scale. In the present specification, athree-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system in three axial directions(X axis direction, Y axis direction, Z axis direction) is used, thewidth direction of the glazing unit is defined as the X direction, thethickness direction is defined as the Y direction, and the length isdefined as the Z direction. The direction from the bottom to the top ofthe glazing unit is defined as the +Z axis direction, and the oppositedirection is defined as the −Z axis direction. In the followingdescription, the +Z axis direction is referred to as upward and the −Zaxial direction may be referred to as down following arrows.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 , an embodiment of the present inventionis described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 , the invention relates to an improved glazingunit 1 extending along a plane, P, defined by a longitudinal axis, X,and a vertical axis, Z; having a width, DW, measured along thelongitudinal axis, X, and a length, DL, measured along the verticalaxis, Z, comprising a glass panel 10, a housing 20 able to accommodate acommunication device 24 and an opening 15 arranged on the said glasspanel 1.

The opening has substantially same dimensions in plane P as the saidhousing and in that the housing is placed in the said opening.

The housing is placed in one lower corner of the glazing unit meaningthat X-values and Z-values are the lowest and dimensions of the bordersin P plane are Dh1, Dh2, Dh3.

The glazing unit also comprises an opening 15 which is arranged on theglazing panel 10 to allow the housing 20 to be inserted on. It meansthat the housing is facing the outside of a building and the cover ofthe housing is facing to the inside of the building. In this embodiment,the opening is a cut-out and the shape of the cut-out is triangular.Dimensions of the opening in P plane are slightly similar to those ofthe housing to allow the housing to the be placed in the said openingwhile to avoid the space between the housing and the opening andtherefore to minimize the movement.

In some embodiment, regarding FIG. 1 the opening may have another shapethan a triangle, for example a part of circle (an arc), a square, apolygon, a rectangle, . . .

In some embodiments, the glazing panel can comprises more than one glasspanel. These glass panels can be laminated together by at least oneinterlayer to reduce the noise and/or to ensure the penetration safety.The laminated glazing comprises glass panels maintained by one or moreinterlayers positioned between glass panels. It means that between thehousing and the outside of the building, vehicle, . . . it is possibleto have more than one glass sheets. The interlayers employed aretypically polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) forwhich the stiffness can be tuned. These interlayers keep the glasspanels bonded together even when broken in such a way that they preventthe glass from breaking up into large sharp pieces.

In some embodiments, the glazing panel can comprises more than one glasspanel. These glass panels can be combined together by at least a meansof maintaining the two glass panels at a certain distance. It means thatbetween the housing and the outside of the building, vehicle, . . . Itis possible to have more than one glass sheets, as shown in FIG. 7 .

The housing can be fixed by a double-sided tape, a glue or any suitablefixing means able to fix the housing to the glazing panel.

Usually, the glazing unit 1 is inserted into a frame, being placed in aspace provided for this purpose in a building. The frame has a U-formshape allowing to insert the glazing unit in the U-form. A part of thehousing is then inserted in the U-form of the frame (not shown). Theframe has a weather strip (not shown) around it to ensure the tightnessbetween the frame and the glazing unit. This weather strip presses thefirst outer glass pane on one side and the second outer glass pane andthe housing on the other side. The housing can also be placed in theopening and secured by the frame. In this case, the frame is over aleast a part of housing as the frame is over a part of the glass panels.

The housing comprises a matching element 24.

The housing can be made of different parts 22, 23, 26. These partsallows to fix the housing to the glazing unit and to intervene on theelectronic elements such as the communication device 25.

The housing may have fixed part 22 able to be fixed on an interiorsurface of a glazing unit and a movable part, 23 such as a cover toprotect the inside of the housing when the housing is not used or toprotect the electronics devices once there are in. The movable part canbe assembled to the fixed part by any suitable means such as screw,clip, barbhook, male/female elements or any other means able to keep themovable part assembled to the fixed part.

According to some embodiment of the invention, the communication devicecomprises at least an RF front-end module for 4G and/or 5G systems. Thismodule in turn can incorporate an antenna element or an array of antennaelements, and RF modules such as TX power amplifiers, RX low noiseamplifiers, up and down convertors, and Phase-locked loop (PLL). Theantenna element(s) can be single-polarized or dual-polarized dependingon the application. When beamforming is required to improve the signalto noise and interference ratio, a passive or active phased-arrayantenna can be used, for example in mm-Wave.

Alternatively, to avoid degradation of beamforming performances, thecommunication device is placed at least at one quarter wavelength (λ/4)of the operation frequency from the edge of the glazing unit.

The module can be used for an integrated or detached indoor repeater(either in the same or different technology), fixed wireless CPE, TVdecoder, and/or DAS system to enhance the link performance among indooruser's terminals and the provider's fixed stations such as basestations, small cells, and active repeaters. These provider's fixedstations are at least at 1 m far from the glazing unit, typically from50 m to 200 m far from the glazing unit.

By indoor, interior, it is understood that it is inside the building,the vehicle, . . . where the glazing unit is installed while outdoormeans outside the said building, the vehicle, . . .

The said communication device is fixed to the housing by at least onefixing mean 26. Alternatively, depending on the application, the said atleast one fixing means can be removable fixing means such a screw, . . .The at least one fixing means can also have a distance regulation systemto place the communication device in a defined distance from S12 suchArchimedes' screw.

Alternatively, the communication device is low power to control the heatdissipation around the glazing unit.

In some embodiments according to the invention, the housing may comprisea heatsink to dissipate the generated heat from the electronic elements.This heatsink is thermally connected by at least one element 27 to thecommunication device. The heat sink size and type is chosen to limit thetemperature increase on the surface S12 of the glazing unit in front ofthe communication device and also depending on the electronic used inthe communication device.

The housing can be made of plastic such as polycarbonate, ABS, PU, PMMA,or any other plastic material able to use as a housing. The housing canbe made of metallic material such as aluminum. Alternatively, materialused for the housing is UV resistance and low expansion material.

The sides, the cover and the bottom of the housing can be made in thesame material or different material. Sides and/or cover and/or bottom,if exists, can be made in a single piece or different pieces.

According to the invention, a treatment such as a paint, a localetching, . . . can be applied at least in front of the housing to avoidUV issues or to hide the housing from outside.

In some embodiments according to the invention, where the first glasspanel is low in transmittance for the operation frequency range and/orfor a given polarization and an angle of incidence, a matching element25 can be added between the bottom of the housing and the communicationdevice to maximize the transmission of the signal through the glazingunit.

When the communication device incorporates a phased-array antenna to beable to perform beamforming, a first glass panel with high reflectancewithin the operation frequency range and/or for a given polarization andan angle of incidence increases the mutual coupling among the antennaelements, and deteriorates the RF components performance.

Surprisingly, the matching element decreases the mutual coupling andthus allows the electronics to work properly.

According to the invention, the matching element is composed of at leasta dielectric, preferably with a permittivity between 2 and 11, and witha low loss factor, preferably below 0.01. It can comprise two or moredielectrics and some periodic and/or pseudo-periodic metallic patterns(with some resonance between 0.5 to 2 times of the operation frequency).

The matching element has alternatively a thickness between 0.2 mm to 8mm, and is placed at a distance of between 0 mm to 15 mm from thesurface where the housing can be fixed on.

According to the invention, a matching layer 24, is embedded or is apart of the housing, especially part of the flat part of the bottom 26,of the housing, to minimize the cost and the handling. This matchinglayer 24, is in front of at least a part of the communication device 25especially at least in front of the antenna aperture.

In some embodiments according to the invention, the matching layer canbe fixed to sides 22 or to the cover 23 of the housing. The matchinglayer 24 can be fixed to the communication device 25.

Alternatively, there is at least a distance equivalent to one tenth ofthe operation wavelength (λ/10) between the antenna and the matchingelement to avoid antenna detuning.

In some embodiments, this matching element can be incorporated, embeddedto the bottom or at least one side of the said housing. In some otherembodiments, the matching element can be fixed to the communicationdevice or can be fixed to the surface where the housing can be fixed on.

Alternatively, the matching element is at least substantially the samesize as the antenna aperture (not shown) of the communication device tomaximize the signal transmission.

Alternatively, depending on the application, the said matching layer canbe removable fixed with means such a screw, . . . The at least onefixing means can also have a distance regulation system to place thematching layer in a defined distance from the bottom of the housing suchArchimedes' screw.

According to the invention, the opening 15 is not in a corner but in aside of the second inner glass pane 111. Preferably in theseembodiments, the opening has a rectangular shape and preferably one sideof the side rectangular has substantially the same size that the side ofthe second inner glass sheet meaning that the second inner glass pane acut portion along a side (in the X-axis and/or Z-axis) where the housinghaving slightly the same dimension than the cut portion to havesubstantially the same dimensions than the first outer glass pane.Dimensions of the housing in X- and Z-axis slightly correspond to thedifference between dimensions of first outer glass pane 11 and secondinner glass pane 12. It means that DhW slightly equals to DW.

In this embodiment, the housing can be fixed to glass panel 11 thoughtthe said opening 15. Usually, the glazing unit 1 is inserted into aframe, being placed in a space provided for this purpose in a building.The frame has a U-form shape allowing to insert the glazing unit in theU-form. A part of the housing is then inserted in the U-form of theframe (not shown). The frame has a weather strip (not shown) around itto ensure the tightness between the frame and the glazing unit. Thisweather strip presses the first outer glass pane on one side and thesecond outer glass pane and the housing on the other side. The housingcan also be placed in the opening and secured by the frame. In thiscase, the frame is over a least a part of housing as the frame is over apart of the glass panels.

The glazing unit can be placed on a façade of a building as a window.The glazing unit according to the invention can also be placed as awindow of a vehicle.

In some embodiments, at least one of the two glass panels comprises twoglass sheets laminated together by at least one interlayer to reduce thenoise and/or to ensure the penetration safety. The laminated glazingcomprises glass panels maintained by one or more interlayers positionedbetween glass panels. It means that between the housing and the outsideof the building, vehicle, . . . it is possible to have more than oneglass sheets. The interlayers employed are typically polyvinyl butyral(PVB) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) for which the stiffness can betuned. These interlayers keep the glass panels bonded together even whenbroken in such a way that they prevent the glass from breaking up intolarge sharp pieces.

In some embodiments, at least one of the two glass panels comprises twoglass sheets combined together by at least a means of maintaining thetwo glass panels at a certain distance. It means that between thehousing and the outside of the building, vehicle, . . . It is possibleto have more than one glass sheets.

The housing can be fixed by a double-sided tape, a glue or any suitablefixing means able to fix the housing on the surface facing the interiorof the building S22. In some embodiments, the glazing panel comprisesonly a first glass panel, the housing is fixed on the surface S12.

The communication device can be connected to a cable 50 such as Ethernetcable and/or a power cable.

According to the invention, the shown glazing unit 1 extending along aplane, P, defined by a longitudinal axis, X, and a vertical axis, Z;having a width, DW, measured along the longitudinal axis, X, and alength, DL, measured along the vertical axis, Z, comprising at least afirst glass panel 11 and a second glass panel 12 combined together by ameans 13 of maintaining the two glass panels at a certain distancebetween the two glass panels.

In this embodiment, the means is a spacer 13 and the spacer separatesthe first glass panel from the second glass panel to create a spacefilled by a gas like Argon to improve the thermal isolation of theglazing unit, creating an insulating glazing unit. The spacer is thenplaced in the border of the second glass panel allowing the tightness ofthe volume 14 of the glazing unit to keep the gas in this volume 14.

Alternatively, the materials used to fix the spacer to glass panels areUV resistant to avoid deterioration of the said materials. Especially,the adhesive between the spacer and glass panels can be a silicone basedmaterial.

The at least one glass panel of the glazing unit has a S11 surface and aS12 surface. S11 surface is facing the outside of the building and S12surface is facing the inside of the building.

In some embodiments, the at least one glass panel are at leasttransparent for visible waves, meaning with a light transmission of atleast 0.1, in order to see-through and to let light passing through.

In some embodiments, the at least one glass panel comprise at least twoglass sheets separated by a spacer or laminated together.

The at least one glass panel can be manufactured by a knownmanufacturing method such as a float method, a fusion method, a redrawmethod, a press molding method, or a pulling method. As a manufacturingmethod of the glass panel 1, from the viewpoint of productivity andcost, it is preferable to use the float method.

The at least one glass panel can be flat or curved according torequirements by known methods such as hot or cold bending.

The at least one glass panel can be processed, i.e. annealed, thermallytempered, chemically tempered . . . to respect with the specificationsof security and anti-thief requirements. Especially, the first glasspanel can be thermally or chemically tempered to avoid breakage in caseof overheat near the housing.

The at least one glass panel can be a clear glass or a coloured glass,tinted with a specific composition of the glass or by applying anadditional coating or a plastic layer for example.

According to the invention with reference to FIG. 5 , at least onecoating system having at least a decoated zone in front of the antennaaperture of the communication unit can be disposed on at least onesurface of the glazing unit. In some embodiments, the said at least onecoating system can have several decoated zone depending of theapplication.

In some embodiments, the at least one glass panel can be processedand/or coloured, . . . in order to improve the aesthetic, thermalinsulation performances, safety, . . . Each glass panel of the glazingunit can be independently processed and/or coloured as described.

The thickness, measured in Y-axis, of the at least one glass panel isset according to requirements of applications.

The at least one glass panel can be formed in a rectangular shape in aplan view by using a known cutting method. As a method of cutting the atleast one glass panels, for example, a method in which laser light isirradiated on the surface of the at least one glass panel to cut theirradiated region of the laser light on the surface of the at least oneglass panel to cut the glass panels, or a method in which a cutter wheelis mechanically cutting can be used. The glass panels can have any shapein order to fit with the application, for example a windshield, asidelite, a sunroof of an automotive, a lateral glazing of a train, awindow of a building, . . .

Some plastics elements can be fixed on the glazing unit to ensure thetightness to gas and/or liquid, to ensure the fixation of the glazingpanel or to add external element to the glazing panel.

High in transmittance for RF signal, that also be a low in reflectancefor RF radiation, means that RF radiation are mostly transmitted throughthe material whereas low in transmittance for RF signal, can also be ahigh in reflectance for RF radiation means that RF radiation are mostlyreflected on the surface of the material and/or absorbed by the materialand the attenuation is at level of 20 decibels (dB) or more. High intransmittance, can mean low in reflectance, means an attenuation atlevel of 10 decibels (dB) or less. The coating system which is low intransmittance, can mean high in reflectance, for RF radiation means thatthe coating system is non-transmitting to RF radiation.

In some preferred embodiments, a coating system which is high inreflectance for RF radiation disposed on at least said S21 surface ofthe second glass panel and/or said S12 surface of the first glass panelwith at least a decoated zone in front of the said housing.

According to the invention, the coating system can be a functionalcoating in order to heat the surface of the glazing panel, to reduce theaccumulation of heat in the interior of a building or vehicle or to keepthe heat inside during cold periods for example. Although coating systemare thin and mainly transparent to eyes.

The coating system can be made of layers of different materials and atleast one of this layer is electrically conductive. The coating systemis electrically conductive over the majority of one major surface of theglazing panel.

The coating system of the present invention has an emissivity of notmore than 0.4, preferably less than 0.2, in particular less than 0.1,less than 0.05 or even less than 0.04. The coating system of the presentinvention may comprise a metal based low emissive coating system; thesecoatings typically are a system of thin layers comprising one or more,for example two, three or four, functional layers based on an infraredradiation reflecting material and at least two dielectric coatings,wherein each functional layer is surrounded by dielectric coatings. Thecoating system of the present invention may in particular have anemissivity of at least 0.010. The functional layers are generally layersof silver with a thickness of some nanometers, mostly about 5 to 20 nm.Concerning the dielectric layers, they are transparent and traditionallyeach dielectric layer is made from one or more layers of metal oxidesand/or nitrides. These different layers are deposited, for example, bymeans of vacuum deposition techniques such as magnetic field-assistedcathodic sputtering, more commonly referred to as “magnetronsputtering”. In addition to the dielectric layers, each functional layermay be protected by barrier layers or improved by deposition on awetting layer.

For example, the coating system is applied to the glazing unit 1 totransform it to a low-E glazing unit. This metal-based coating systemsuch as low-E or heatable coating systems.

In some embodiment, the coating system 20 can be a heatable coatingapplied on the glazing unit to add a defrosting and/or a demistingfunction for example.

As the coating system, for example, a conductive film can be used. Asthe conductive film, for example, a laminated film obtained bysequentially laminating a transparent dielectric, a metal film, and atransparent dielectric, ITO, fluorine-added tin oxide (FTO), or the likecan be used. As the metal film, for example, a film containing as a maincomponent at least one selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au, Cu,and Al can be used.

Preferably, the coating system is placed on the majority of one surfaceof the glazing unit and more preferably on the whole used surface of theglass pane.

In some embodiments, a masking element, such as an enamel layer, can beadd on a part of the periphery of the glazing unit.

A simple approach to this problem of RF energy reflection is to remove aportion of the coating system to avoid to have a high reflectance for RFradiation. This approach, however, reduces the solar control benefitsoffered by the glazing unit and for equipment located inside thebuilding, the vehicle or the car, the region would be unacceptablylarge. On top of that, the transition between the decoated zone and thecoating itself is eye-visible and usually non-accepted by users.

Another solution has been to cut lines in the coating system to create asurface which is frequency selective, that is, it has relatively highreflectivity/absorbance for solar energy but relatively high intransmittance in the RF region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Thecutting may be performed by laser ablation and the spacing of the slitsis chosen to provide selectivity at the desired frequency.

The decoated zone can be a zone without coating and because this zone issmall compared to the size of the first inner glass pane thermalperformances are not impacted. The decoated zone can be a frequencyselective surface.

According to the invention, the frequency selective decoated zone of thecoating system may be a series or patterns of intersecting ablated pathsmay be created in the coating system, while leaving behind the coatingsystem in untouched areas and only a very small percentage of the areaof the coating system is removed from the glazing panel, and most of thecoated glass remains untouched to keep performances of the coatingsystem.

These paths are produced in such a way as to create areas of the coatingsystem allowing the glazing panel to retain most of its energyconserving properties or heatable properties, while the ablated pathsallow passage of RF signals through the glazing panel.

In various embodiments, paths can be made by pulse laser to createspots. The diameter of the spot is about 20-25 um, so that each pathwill be approximately this width. In alternative embodiments, differentsized spots (e.g., 10-200 microns in diameter) and paths may be used.Moreover, the spots overlap and the amount of overlap may beapproximately 50% by area; the extent of overlap may vary in alternativeembodiments. In some embodiments, the overlap may range from 25% to over90% for example. The pattern of ablated intersecting paths may bevaried.

In some embodiments, the decoated area of a coated system may be 40% orless of the total coated area depending of the application, the materialused in the glazing unit, . . . In other embodiments, a differentpercentage may be used (e.g. 5% or less total area of the coating systemremoved, and 95% total area of a coating system retaining untouched). Inother embodiments, the coated system is decoated on at least one portionof his surface, this decoated zone represents less than 2% of thecoating in this zone. In others embodiments, several decoated zone canbe present and the decoated surface is at most 3% of the total coatedarea.

The decoated zone can be made on other parts of the surface of the glasspane, then another percentage can be done. Some designs can also changeis percentage.

Note that while ablation of a higher percentage of the area may improvethe transmission of RF signals through the glazing unit, ablation ofmore of the coating system diminishes the energy conserving propertiesheatable performances of the glazing unit.

The glazing unit can be placed on a façade of a building as a window.The glazing unit according to the invention can also be placed as awindow of a vehicle.

The user inside a building or a vehicle can receive the signal from afar (at least one meter) fixed station or active or passive repeaterdirectly through the glazing without the need of an external elementsuch as an exterior repeater, retrieving the signal from the providerfixed station or active or passive repeater to communicate in fine withthe communication device of the glazing unit according to the invention.

The module can be also used for an outdoor repeater (either in the sameor different technology) and/or a serving cell to boost the networkcoverage outdoors.

The glazing unit can be a fixed access point for CPE, users meaning thatindoor and/or outdoor from the building users can receive signaldirectly from the glazing unit without the need of an external elementsuch as an exterior repeater, retrieving the signal from thecommunication device of the glazing unit according to the invention. Theuser can receive the signal directly from the glazing unit according tothe invention.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 , the glazing panel comprises afirst glass panel and a second glass panel separated by a spacer 13. Inthe area of the opening of the second inner glass panel, the spacer mayfollow the shape of the opening in order to correctly insure theadhesion of the first and the second glass panel to the spacer. In caseof VIG, the sealing material able to keep the vacuum may follow theshape of the opening in order to correctly insure the tightness and thevacuum.

In this embodiment, the means is a spacer 13 and the spacer separatesthe first outer glass panel from the second inner glass panel to createa space filled by a gas like Argon to improve the thermal isolation ofthe glazing unit, creating an insulating glazing unit. In the area ofthe opening 15 of the second inner glass pane 12, the spacer 13 mayfollow the shape of the cutout in order to correctly insure the adhesionof the first and the second glass sheet to the spacer. The spacer isthen placed in the border of the second glass panel allowing thetightness of the volume 14 of the glazing unit to keep the gas in thisvolume 14.

The invention also refers to a communication system comprising at leasta glazing unit according to the invention and a provider fixed stationor active or passive repeater, which is placed at least at 1 m outsidefrom the glazing unit.

The invention also refers to a communication system comprising at leasta glazing unit according to the invention to provide indoor and/oroutdoor coverage as a fixed access point.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A glazing unit extending along a plane, P,defined by a longitudinal axis, X, and a vertical axis, Z; having awidth, DW, measured along the longitudinal axis, X, and a length, DL,measured along the vertical axis, Z, comprising: a glass panel, ahousing able to accommodate a communication device, and an openingarranged on the glass panel, wherein the opening has substantially thesame dimensions in plane P as the housing and in that the housing isplaced in the opening, and wherein the housing comprises a heatsink. 2.The glazing unit according to claim 1, wherein the glazing unitcomprises a 4G and/or 5G signal communication device having at least oneantenna.
 3. The glazing unit according to claim 1, wherein the housingcomprises side parts and a cover.
 4. The glazing unit according to claim3, wherein the housing comprises a bottom surrounded by side parts. 5.The glazing unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing has at leastone attaching means for attaching the cover to the side parts.
 6. Theglazing unit according to claim 1, wherein a coating system which is lowin transmittance for RF signal is disposed on at least one major surfaceof the glazing panel.
 7. The glazing unit according to claim 1, whereinthe opening is arranged in an area of a corner of the glass panel. 8.The glazing unit according to claim 7, wherein the opening is a cut-outand a shape of the cut-out is a triangle or an arc or a polygon.
 9. Theglazing unit according to claim 1, wherein an opening is arranged in aside of the glass panel.
 10. The glazing unit according to claim 9,wherein the opening is a cut-out and a shape of the cut-out is arectangle or an arc or a polygon.
 11. The glazing unit according toclaim 1, wherein the opening is surrounded by the glass panel.
 12. Acommunication system comprising: a glazing unit according to claim 1 anda provider fixed station or active or passive repeater, which is placedat least at 1 m outside from the glazing unit.
 13. A communicationsystem comprising at least a glazing unit according to claim 1configured to provide indoor and/or outdoor coverage as a fixed accesspoint.
 14. The glazing unit according to claim 1, wherein an opening isarranged in a lower part of the glass panel.
 15. The glazing unitaccording to claim 9, wherein the opening is a cut-out and a shape ofthe cut-out is a rectangle and one side of the rectangle hassubstantially a same size as a side of the glass panel.
 16. The glazingunit according to claim 3, wherein the heatsink is placed on the coverfacing an outside of the housing.
 17. The glazing unit according toclaim 7, wherein the opening is arranged in a lower part of the glasspanel.